🚨 NEW Champions League format, Arsenal thrash Sheffield Utd, Man Utd manager saga, major Barca sale, Davies Real Madrid latest, and more

Good morning everyone and welcome to the latest edition of the Daily Briefing - thanks as always for reading, and hope you enjoy!

Today’s top stories:

* New Champions League format explained

* Arsenal thrash Sheffield United and eye Victor Osimhen

* Latest on the Manchester United manager saga

* Plus more from Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid

AC Milan

* Rafael Leao on links with Chelsea and PSG: “My future is very clear and it’s here at AC Milan. I’m under contract for the next four years, AC Milan helped me in difficult moments and I won’t forget that. I want to win again at Milan, my focus is here.”

Arsenal

* What a goal this was by Ben White in last night’s thrashing of Sheffield United! Arsenal have now scored 31 goals in their last 7 Premier League games. Ft Sheffield Utd 0-6 Arsenal [Pictures from Sky Sports]

* Arsenal made history with this result - no team in English football has ever done this before!

* Arsenal’s William Saliba had more passes (169) than the entire Sheffield Utd team combined (142) last night. Mikel Arteta’s response: “Good! We’re trying to improve in every phase of play, the chemistry of the players and the desire of the players to improve in every area.”

* Arsenal are being linked again with Victor Osimhen and their interest is genuine - more here from Fabrizio Romano.

Aston Villa

* Aston Villa statement on club record post-tax operating loss of £119.6m for the 2022-23 season. “It’s important to note that these figures are in line with the strategic business plan and we continue to operate within the Premier League’s Profit & Sustainability rules. The owners of Aston Villa remain committed to the long-term and sustainable development of the Club. We look forward to continued progress on the delivery of our strategic plan.”

Athletic Bilbao

* Alvaro Djalo to Athletic Bilbao starting from July 1 - it’s now official. He’s joining the club in a €15m plus €5m deal.

Barcelona

* Raphinha could be sold by Barcelona this summer, but where will he end up?

* Pedri and Frenkie de Jong are expected to be out for more than one month after their injuries. De Jong has a lateral ligament sprain in his right ankle, while Pedri has a right quadriceps injury.

Bayern Munich

* Is Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich future already in doubt? Fabrizio Romano takes a look in his exclusive column.

* What next for Thomas Tuchel if Bayern don’t get past Lazio in the Champions League tonight?

* Real Madrid have a fee in mind for Alphonso Davies as they look to avoid paying ‘crazy’ money for him.

* Matthijs de Ligt on his future: “I’m not thinking about that now. I’m very happy at Bayern Munich. Of course I haven’t had an easy season so far. I was injured for a long time. But at the moment I feel good and am fit, I want to play.”

* Bayern director Max Eberl: “Bayern can’t sign superstars all the time. Now Harry Kane has proven his worth for Bayern, but we can’t make such transfers all the time. We want to build a team. And there are very, very good players who maybe don’t cost €80/100m.”

* Feyenoord manager Arne Slot on Bayern job links: “I really can't answer that, but it's nice that I'm on a list!”

Chelsea

* Victor Osimhen to Chelsea transfer interest is nothing new - more here from Fabrizio Romano’s column.

* Could Chelsea and Milan both be going after the same manager this summer?

* ‘Give Michael Edwards the keys’ at Chelsea?

* Mauricio Pochettino: “I think the performances have been very good, I’m so happy with the performances. If the fans want to listen, perfect. If not, what can I do? They’ll keep booing. But I’m giving my best to this team. Boo me, not the players. It’s fine.”

Fulham

* Fulham are among the clubs on alert as Habib Diallo could be on the move on the cheap this summer, according to Ben Jacobs.

Inter Milan

* What a well-taken finish by Kristjan Asllani in Inter’s win last night. FT Inter 2-1 Genoa [Pictures from TNT Sports]

Juventus

* Juventus will hold internal talks over a possible change in manager - more info here from Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive column.

Las Palmas

* Las Palmas have now formally completed the agreement to sign Manu Fuster from Albacete. The fee will be around €1.5m for the permanent move.

Liverpool

* Has Xabi Alonso already decided NOT to take over as Liverpool manager?

* Jamie Carragher has highlighted a possible Liverpool title advantage…

Manchester City

* Phil Foden transfer worry for Man City - could his fine form attract interest from these European giants in the summer?

Manchester United

* Zinedine Zidane for Manchester United manager? Fabrizio Romano addresses the speculation.

* Could Harry Kane really be heading back to the Premier League?

* Casemiro on INEOS plans: “The new owners want to do ambitious plans. I hope that they arrive and grow together with us. It is important for the club to have people who want to grow here.”

* 📰 A growing number of Man Utd players think Erik ten Hag will be replaced in the summer (Mail)

Osasuna

* What a move and finish this was by Osasuna in their game last night! FT Osasuna 1-0 Alaves [Pictures from ViaPlay Sports]

PSG

* PSG and Victor Osimhen - what’s the latest? Fabrizio Romano takes a look in his exclusive column.

* Luis Enrique on getting used to play without Kylian Mbappe also in the Champions League after recent subs: “Maybe yes, maybe no. Who knows?”

* Nuno Mendes is set to return as Luis Enrique confirms: “He could start tomorrow, but won’t play the whole game. He is a top-class player, it’s fantastic to have Nuno back — he’s great both offensively and defensively.”

Real Madrid

* Real Madrid have a fee in mind for Alphonso Davies as they look to avoid paying ‘crazy’ money for him.

* It looks increasingly likely that this Real Madrid player will leave in the summer…

Tottenham

* Tottenham midfielder Pierre Emile Hojbjerg has signed for USG Italy as new agency, represented by Luca Puccinelli. Hojbjerg is under contract at Spurs until June 2025.

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